Food packaging for microwave pressure cooking and method of using same

Abstract

Food packaging includes a top wall of film plastic material which in turn includes top and bottom wall portions creating a pocket therebetween. The pocket bottom wall portion has feed openings communicating with the food chamber. The top wall portion includes a centrally disposed feed opening registering with a vent opening in the bottom wall portion with the bottom wall feed openings being remotely located and adapted to be sealed during cooking by pressure within the food chamber pressing the bottom wall portion against the top wall portion.

1 . Food packaging for microwave pressure cooking, comprising: 
 packaging of sheet material having top and bottom walls forming a food chamber therebetween, and said top wall having a fill opening; and    a patch of sheet material being secured along its peripheral edge to said packaging top wall and forming a pocket therebetween, and a vent hole in said patch of sheet material adapted to communicate with said fill opening in said packaging top wall for release of from said food chamber a vapor at a predetermined pressure.    
   
   
       2 . The food packaging of  claim 1  wherein said patch sheet material includes at least one fill hole remote to said vent hole in said patch and said fill hole in said top wall of said packaging whereby vapor pressure in said food chamber during microwave cooking closes said fill hole in said patch by pressing said patch sheet material against said packaging top wall.  
   
   
       3 . The food packaging of  claim 2  wherein said fill hole in said patch sheet is one of a plurality of fill holes in said patch sheet all of which are positioned remote to said vent hole in said patch sheet and said fill hole in said packaging top wall whereby liquid and additives placed in said pocket through said packaging top wall fill hole pass through said patch fill holes into said food chamber during cooking preparation and are closed by vapor pressure during cooking as said patch sheet is pressed against said packaging top wall.  
   
   
       4 . The food packaging of  claim 3  wherein one of said fill holes in said patch sheet is substantially larger than said other patch sheet fill holes thereby being adapted to receive and pas relatively larger additives into said food chamber.  
   
   
       5 . The food packaging of  claim 1  and a tab is provided on said packaging top wall adjacent said fill hole and is adapted to be used for lifting said packaging top wall away from said patch sheet to form said pocket to receive liquid and additives passing through said pocket to said food chamber.  
   
   
       6 . The food packaging for microwave pressure cooking, comprising; 
 packaging of sheet material having top and bottom walls forming a food chamber therebetween, said top wall including first and second parallel wall portions forming a pocket therebetween;    said first wall portion being above said second wall portion, and said first wall portion having a fill opening; and    said second wall portion having a vent hole adapted to communicate with said fill opening in said first wall portion for release of vapor from said food chamber at a predetermined pressure during cooking.    
   
   
       7 . The food packaging of  claim 6  wherein said lower second wall portion includes at lest one fill hole remote to said vent hole in said second wall portion and said fill hole in said top wall portion whereby vapor pressure in said food chamber during cooking closes said fill hole in said second lower wall portion by pressing said second wall portion against said top first wall portion.  
   
   
       8 . The food packaging of  claim 7  wherein said fill hole in said second lower wall portion is one of a plurality of fill holes in said second lower wall portion all of which are positioned remote to said vent hole in said second lower wall portion and said fill hole in said top first wall portion whereby liquid and additives placed in said pocket through said fill hole in said first top wall portion pass through said second bottom wall portion fill holes into said food chamber during cooking preparation and are closed by vapor pressure during cooking as said second bottom wall portions is pressed against said first top wall portion.  
   
   
       9 . The food packaging of  claim 8  wherein said one of said fill holes in said second bottom wall portion is substantially larger than said other second wall portion fill holes thereby being adapted to receive and pass relatively larger additives into said food chamber.  
   
   
       10 . The food packaging of  claim 6  and a tab is provided on said top first wall portion adjacent said fill hole and is adapted to be used for lifting said top first wall portion away from said bottom second wall portion to form said pocket to receive liquid and additives passing through said pocket to said food chamber.  
   
   
       11 . The food packaging for microwave pressure cooking, comprising; 
 packaging having top and bottom walls forming a food chamber therebetween, said top wall being formed from sheet material and including first and second parallel wall portions forming a pocket therebetween;    said first wall portion being above said second wall portion, and said first wall portion having a fill opening; and    said second wall portion having a vent hole adapted to communicate with said fill opening in said first wall portion for release of vapor from said food chamber at a predetermined pressure during cooking.    
   
   
       12 . The food packaging of  claim 11  wherein said lower second wall portion includes at lest one fill hole remote to said vent hole in said second wall portion and said fill hole in said top wall portion whereby vapor pressure in said food chamber during cooking closes said fill hole in said second lower wall portion by pressing said second wall portion against said top first wall portion.  
   
   
       13 . The food packaging of  claim 12  wherein said fill hole in said second lower wall portion is one of a plurality of fill holes in said second lower wall portion all of which are positioned remote to said vent hole in said second lower wall portion and said fill hole in said top first wall portion whereby liquid and additives placed in said pocket through said fill hole in said first top wall portion pass through said second bottom wall portion fill holes into said food chamber during cooking preparation and are closed by vapor pressure during cooking as said second bottom wall portion is pressed against said first top wall portion.  
   
   
       14 . The food packaging of  claim 12  wherein said one of said fill holes in said second bottom wall portion is substantially larger than said other second wall portion fill holes thereby being adapted to receive and pass relatively larger additives into said food chamber.  
   
   
       15 . The food packaging of  claim 11  and a tab is provided on said top first wall portion adjacent said fill hole and is adapted to be used for lifting said top first wall portion away from said bottom second wall portion to form said pocket to receive liquid and additives passing through said pocket to said food chamber.  
   
   
       16 . The food packaging for microwave pressure cooking, comprising; 
 packaging including top and bottom sheets sealingly interconnected along a plurality of radial lines to form a plurality of pie shaped food chambers; and    each of said food chambers being open at their outer peripheral edges and adapted to be sealingly closed to provide a plurality of substantially sealed food chambers.    
   
   
       17 . The food packaging of  claim 16  and a patch of sheet material is sealingly secured along its peripheral edges to said top sheet over each of said food chambers forming a separate pocket for each food chamber between a portion of the top sheet and the patch.  
   
   
       18 . The food packaging of  claim 17  wherein either the patch sheet or the top sheet portion of each food chamber may be positioned above the other to form pocket top and bottom walls, said pocket top walls each including a fill opening over a vent opening in said pocket bottom wall, at least one fill opening in said pocket bottom wall remotely positioned to said vent opening.  
   
   
       19 . The food packaging of  claim 18  wherein said fill opening in each of said pocket bottom walls is one of a plurality of fill openings in each of said pocket bottom walls whereby during cooling pressure in said food chambers cause said bottom pocket walls to rise and press against said pocket wall sealing said fill openings in said pocket bottom wall.  
   
   
       20 . The food packaging of  claim 11  wherein said bottom wall is the bottom wall of a tray having vertical side walls, said side walls having upper edges to which said top wall of sheet material is sealingly secured.  
   
   
       21 . The food packaging of  claim 20  wherein the sealing of said top wall of sheet material to the upper edges of said vertical tray walls is by adhesive.  
   
   
       22 . The food packaging of  claim 20  wherein the sealing of said top wall of sheet material to the upper edges of said vertical tray walls is by a clip, and said clip being U-shaped and downwardly facing includes oppositely disposed legs operatively engaging opposite sides of said tray vertical walls.  
   
   
       23 . The food packaging of  claim 20  wherein said vertical side walls of said tray form a three sided pie piece shaped tray.  
   
   
       24 . The food packaging of  claim 23  wherein said tray is one of a plurality of trays positioned in side by side relationship to form a circular pie of trays adapted to matingly fit on a circular tray in a microwave oven.  
   
   
       25 . The food packaging of  claim 20  wherein said tray is unitary and pie shaped and includes multiple pie piece shaped food chambers.  
   
   
       26 . Method of microwave pressure cooking packaged food, comprising the stages of: 
 providing a plurality of pie piece shaped packages of food items requiring different cooking times and forming the shape of a pie when assembled together in a microwave oven;    setting the cooking time on the microwave oven to the time corresponding to the longest cooking time of any of the food items;    placing the food item requiring the longest cooking time in the microwave oven and starting the cooking timer;    stopping the timer and cooking when the time remaining corresponds to the cooking time for the food items requiring the next longest cooking time which is then placed in the microwave oven which is then restarted; and    repeating the preceding step until all food items are cooked and the set time on the oven timer has expired.